Time-controlled mechanism



convenient one.

. UNITEDd STATES .PATENT OFFICE.

. WILLIAM E. GBEENLEAF, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT; ASSIGNOR TO THE CON- NECTICUT ELECTRIC CLOCK COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A COR- BOBATION 0F NEW YORK.

TIME-CONTROLLED MECHANISM.

specification of Letters ratent. Patented Aug. 30, 1921.

Y Application led March 29, 1925. ASerial No. 389,575.

vnew and useful Improvements in Time- `Controlled Mechanism, of which, the -fol- This invention relates to time controlled mechanism. The title selected is merely a When the mechanism is used in the art 'of time-controlling devices,

it may take the form for illustration of a` self-winding time-piece such for instance as a clock. I have a number of inotlves in' view'among them being the productlon of an 4article which is compact, which lnumbers relatively speaking, a small number of parts,l

being however accurate and susceptible of inexpensive manufacture.

In the drawings accompanying and 'form-l l ing part of the present specification I have shown in detail one of the several forms of embodiment of the invention which I will set forth fully inthe following description. I am not restricted to this disclosure. I may depart therefrom in several res ects within the scope of the invention de ned by the claims following said description. J 1

- Referring to said drawings:

Figure 1 is arear face view partly in section on the linel 1-1 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 2 is,an elevation asseen from the right in Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 areviews on larger scales partly diagrammatic and showing certain controlling parts in different positions. y

Like characters referto like parts throughout the several views.

While in effect I have observed that one or more of the features of the invention can be utilized in various ways they areof particular utility however when incorporated as shown in a clock. As part of this or- 1 ganization is an escapement and train of gears which may be of the'- kind found in time-pieces. An element of the clock work? is the main arbor 2 supported between the front and back movement plates3-and 4. Between the arbors is the lgear train 5. The main arbor is intermittently operated at desired intervals, for instance one minute apart, by suitable means such as pawl and .a tooth of the ratchet wheel.

ratchet mechanism. the ratchet. wheel of which is denoted by 6 and the-pawl by 7.- In the construction shown it is' clear that the ratchet wheel 6A has sixty teeth` in its periphery. The pawl is operatively connected with the arma-ture 8 of the magnet 9. The

armature 8 practically of yoke or inverted. form being in effectvlike that shown in Let-ii ters Patent Number 1,263,554 issued to me"' October 23, 1918, and to which reference may be had. It will be clear that upon each half stroke of the armature 8 the pawl 7 is active for feeding the ratchet wheel 6 a distance agreeing to the space between two of its teeth. The magnet 9 is attached in some convenient way to the rear face of the back movement plate 4.` The armature 8 is pivoted. at 10 near the junction of its short side branch and its cross branch, to ,the back movement plate or to a bracket thereon. To this short branch is connected one end of a spring 11 .the other lend ofthe spring being fastened to some suitable fixed part. The magnet acts to impart a swing in one direction of the armature 8, opposite movement thereof being brought about through the pull of the spring 11 conditioned to insure this function on the opposite movement of the armature. In Fig. 1 the armature 8 is shown as being against the magnet by full lines having been. moved to this position by the pull of the magnet. During such motion the spring 11 was stretched and at the conclusion of it the pawl 7 engages behind About the time this action takes place as I will later set forth, the magnet is denergized so that the stretched spring 11 pulls the armature to the dotted line position in said Fig. -1 and thus causes the pawl 7 to feed the ratchet-wheel 6 a distance equaling one tooth of the ratchet wheel and as a, consequence effects a like result with the time controlled mechanism between the front and rear movement plates 3 and 4 in the manner quite fully set forth in my issued patent to which I have already referred.

The back movement plate 4 as shown sustains in vsome suitable way a framing as 12' sol `connected with the frame 12 as clearly shown in both Figs. 3 and 4. The contact. 13 has on its inner free side the head or enlargement 15 constituting the active portion thereof.

This head 15 coperates with a switching member which is of some suitable construction, the lever 16 acting satisfactorily in this connection and being fulcrumed or pivoted as at 17 at its base to the framing 12. It may be well to note that the switching member 16 is moved to circuit breaking positionby the action of the armaturey when the magnet is energized, being moved toward circuit closing position in some convenient manner, as by the spring 18 fastened at its base to the framing 12 and the free end of which is in the form of a projection 19 cooperative with the back straight :tace 20 of the switching lever 16 shown as being' in circuit clos ing position in Fig. 4 by dotted lines. The free or forward end of the switching lever has set thereinto the brush member 21 cooperative with the contact head 15. It should be noted at this time that the brush member 21 has merely an engagement with the head 13 as distinguished from a rocking sliding contact therewith. In this respect the switching level' 16 diiiers strikingly Jfrom the theoretically corresponding part in Letters Pat.- ent 1,164,602 issued to me December 14, 1915. As a matter of fact the present construction is radically different from that of my prior patent in many particulars. Another point is the lever 16 moves in one direction or toward circuit making position for instance by the power of spring means. On the framing 12 is mounted a sear mem-` ber or catch of suitable character, the lever 22 answering satisfactorily in this connection, said lever being pivoted as at 23 to the framing 12. One arm of the lever has a catch nger as 24 coperating with a lateral projection 25 on what is shown as the upper side of the switching or circuit controlling lever 16. The tailor long rear arm of the Sear member or catch 22 is coperative -with a. controlling member such as the stud or eX- tension27 on the longer branch of the armature 8. The framing also has fastened thereto one end of the elongated spring 28 the projection 29 of which at the upper -end thereof, bears against the lug 30 of the sear member 22 to hold the long arm or tail branch 26 of said sear member in engagement withv the stud 27.

It will be assumed that the coil of the magnet 9 is in an electric circuit Such for instance as that described, and that the brush i ,Y wheel 6. As the armature is attracted the stud 27 will fall away from the long branch of the scar member 22 and on the downward movement of the stud 27 this stud will engage against the flat surface'31 of the switching member 16 and thus swing the switching member downward and as a result cause the brush or contacting portion 21 to be dis; engaged from the head 15 of the spring contact 13 as shown in Figk 3. At the Ysame time the projection 25 of the-scar member 22 will engage 'over the upper l`atsurface of the projection 25 and thus momentarily hold the switching or controlling member down having on such downward movement promptly broken the circuit. lVhen the circuit is broken the conditioned spring 11 will by acting against the armature 8 swing said armature Jfrom the full line position to the dotted line position on the right in Fig. 1. 0n this 'particular motion of the armature the ratchet wheel 6 is fed around a distance of one tooth by the pawl 7. As the armature swings outward in the manner indicated, the stud 27 is moved upward and engaging the longer arm of the scar or catch member 22 lwill swing the catch finger 24 from the proposite direction, when the magnet is de'e'ner-l gized, a pawl for` actuating sai'd ratchet wheel, operated by the armature, a catch member, 4a circuit controlling member, the armature having cont-rolling means to engage under the catch member and to free the catch member when the magnet is deenergized, the controlling means on such motion also engaging the circuit controlling member to move the same to circuit breaking position, means acting against the catch member to cause it to momentarily hold the circuit controlllng member in circuit breaking posltlon, a contact. and means for causing bei' When 'the magnet is denergized, the

controlling means on such motion also engaging the circuit controlling member to move the. same to circuit breaking position, means acting against the catch member to cause it to momentarily hold the circ-uit controlling member in circuit breaking position, a contact, and means for causing the circuit controlling member to engage said contact, after the catch member has been freed by said controlling'means.

3. The combination of time controlled mechanism involving an arbor, a ratchet wheel connected with said arbor, a magnet,

Ian armature for the magnet, the latter When energized acting to attract its armature, means for operating the armature in an opposite direction when the magnet is denergized, a pawl for actuating said ratchet Wheel, operated by the armature, a catch member, a circuit controlling member, the armature having a projecting stud to engage under the catch member and to :tree the catch member when the magnet is denergized,

the stud on such motion engaging the cir cuit controlling member to move the same to circuit breaking position, means acting against the catch member to cause it to momentar-ily hold the circuit controlling member in circuit breaking position, a contact,

and means for causing the circuit controlling member to engage said contact, after the catch member has been freed by said stud.

ll. The combination of time controlled y mechanism involving an arbor, a ratchet Wheel associated with said arbor, a magnet, an armature for the magnet, the latter when to engage l energized acting to attract its armature, means for operating the armature in an opposite'directioii when the magnet is deenergized, a pawl for actuating said ratchet wheel, operated by said armature, a catch member, a circuit controlling member, the armature having a stud toengage under the catch member, and to free the catch member when the magnet is denergiz'ed, the stud on such motion acting against the circuit controlling member to move the same to cir* cuit brea ring position, a spring acting against the catch member to cause it to engage and momentarily hold the circuit controlling member in circuit breaking position, a contact, and a spring for causing the circuit controlling member to engage said contact, after the catch member has been freed by said stud. Y

5. The combination of time controlled mechanism involving an arbor, a ratchet Wheel associated with the arbor, a magnet, an armature for the magnet, the latter when lenergized acting to attractitsarmature, a

spring for operating the armature in an opposite direction when the magnet is deenergized, a paWli-'or actuating said ratchet Wheel, operated by said armature, a catch member, a pivotally mounted circuit controlling member, the armature having a stud to engage under the catch' member and to free the same when the magnet is denergized, the stud on such motion also engaging the circuit controllin member to move the same to circuit brea u'ng` position, a spring acting against the catch member, the circuit controlling member having a latJ eral projection, a spring to operate said catch member to -cause it to engage said projection when the stud frees the catch member to thereby momentarily hold the circuit controlling member in circuit breaking posi- 

